Three fishermen drowned when boat sank off Outer Hebrides
A crab fishing boat that sank killing three of its four crew flooded when the deck wash hose was left running, a report has found.
The Louisa foundered after the hold filled up as the men slept.
By the time rescuers arrived, Martin Johnstone, from Halkirk, Caithness, and Chris Morrison, from Stornoway, Lewis, had drowned.
A crab fishing boat (pictured) that sank killing three of its four crew flooded when the deck wash hose was left running, a report has foundÂ
The body of skipper Paul Alliston, 42, from Lochs, Lewis, has been missing since the disaster off Mingulay, in the Western Isles of Scotland, on April 9 last year.
The fourth crew member, 27-year-old Lachlann Armstrong, from Stornoway, swam to shore and clung to rocks where a lifeboat rescued him.
A Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) inquiry yesterday ruled that the powerful deck pump would have filled the hold to a ‘critical point’ within an hour.
Chief inspector of marine accidents Steve Clinch said: ‘In the absence of any identified material defect, we have concluded that the vessel probably foundered as a result of its deck wash hose flooding the hold whil e the skipper and crew were all asleep.Â
By the time rescuers arrived, Martin Johnstone (left), from Halkirk, Caithness, and Chris Morrison (right), from Stornoway, Lewis, had drowned
'A previously disconnected bilge alarm sounder prevented them from being alerted until just before the vessel foundered.’
The MAIB report said the crew managed to don lifejackets but were unable to inflate the liferaft. They were also said to have been working long hours, and ‘the debilitating effect of fatigue should not be underestimated’.
Concerns have been raised about the lifejackets, which were supposed to turn an unconscious person on to their back to prevent drowning. Mr Johnstone, 29, and Mr Morrison, 27, were found face down.Â
Rescuers also lost time finding the crew, who did not have personal locator beacons.
The body of skipper Paul Alliston (pictured when he was younger), 42, from Lochs, Lewis, has been missing since the disaster off Mingulay, in the Western Isles of Scotland, on April 9 last year
Mr Clinch said: ‘A failure of Louisa’s life raft to inflate and a delay in arrival of [rescuers] meant that after abandoning the vessel, the skipper and crew depended on their lifejackets for survival.
‘It is, therefore, of concern that they were face down in their lifejackets when the rescue services arrived. Results of trials by the MAIB and lifejacket testing by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) following the accident strengthen that concern.’
Mr Clinch said further study by the MCA was urgently required.
Last night the boat’s owners, brothers Duncan and Murdo Kennedy, said: ‘We hope the wider issues ra ised will lead to improved safety for all working at sea and prevent any similar incident.’
The bodies were found after the boat sank off Mingulay in the Western Isles of Scotland - one man is still missing
The family of Mr McMillan said they were ‘disappointed’ at the length of time it took for the investigation report to be published.
His brother, Andy McMillan said: ‘There was nothing on their side that night - the lifejackets and the liferaft just did not work.’
He said the report wasn’t fair as it ‘makes out Paul worked the crew to the point of fatigue’.
Mr McMillan said crew members often worked long hours while conditions were good, to offset hours lost during bad weather.
But he added: ‘Paul would never have worked them to fatigue. He never worked any crew member harder than himself.’Â
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